4.07.2011

a selection from Poem about My Rights by June Jordan

Even tonight and I need to take a walk and clear
my head about this poem about why I can’t
go out without changing my clothes my shoes
my body posture my gender identity my age
my status as a woman alone in the evening/
alone on the streets/alone not being the point/
the point being that I can’t do what I want
to do with my own body because I am the wrong
sex the wrong age the wrong skin and
suppose it was not here in the city but down on the beach/
or far into the woods and I wanted to go
there by myself thinking about God/or thinking
about children or thinking about the world/all of it
disclosed by the stars and the silence:
I could not go and I could not think and I could not
stay there
alone
as I need to be
alone because I can’t do what I want to do with my own
body and
who in the hell set things up
like this

full text of the poem here

2 comments:

christina said...

i love this poem, i was fortunate to study under a professor whom helped publish june jordan. such an inspirational poet and teacher.

btw, i've been a follower for a while and i'm always inspired by your words as well.

Shorty said...

oh awesome, i love your blog as well, so im thrilled to know you found y&y! :) thanks for commenting